Teacher Feature: Jill Weiss Ippolito of UpRising Yoga

Jill Weiss Ippolito, RYT, became a yoga teacher to share the healing that saved her life. Formerly a system-involved youth, as an incarcerated adult she turned her life around with yoga and went on to complete over 900 hours of yoga teacher training. In 2011, Jill founded UpRising Yoga (URY) and began teaching yoga life skill classes in youth detention facilities, group homes, hospitals, schools, camps, homeless shelters, and underserved communities. Jill educates hundreds of yoga instructors, childcare providers, mental health professionals, and educators through her domestic and international trauma-informed yoga trainings which have been incorporated into the mandatory curriculum for Los Angeles probation officers. Jill serves as a leader and advocate dedicated to reforming prison and probation culture and changing lives for the better through yoga.

Tell us about the community you serve and the classes you teach.

I’ve been teaching incarcerated youth since 2011. During that time I discovered that I was once in the same juvenile hall I was teaching in! I then began studying the effects of trauma and built a program called UpRising Yoga. The communities we serve are under resourced and marginalized. The classes I teach take into consideration where our students are coming from and primarily focus on healing trauma.

What drew you to this work?

Volunteering to teach yoga in juvenile hall and recovery from addiction. I fell off three two-story buildings at different times in my life. After the third (and hopefully last) time, I needed a year of physical therapy which led to yoga. Yoga saved my life. After developing a practice I wanted to offer the healing I received to those like me who could not afford or access a yoga class.

What does a typical class in juvenile hall look like?

We walk in cheery, ready to start and waiting to see who will join us, setting up the mats and taking the temperature of the room: was there a fight, bad news from court or home, injuries, pregnancies, medication, physical and mental considerations, etc. Often we taught in the same units with the same youth each week and so have a sense of what to expect, but the most typical expectation I can have is knowing every class offered a new and different circumstance.

The consistent issues we saw were not surprising: stress, trauma, fear, poverty, hunger, bullying, gangs, homelessness, sex trafficking, injuries, hospitalizations, concern for their children and loved ones, lack of freedom and comfort, lots of back pain, basic hygiene needs, etc.

The benefits of yoga are massive, and while we were only there for an hour a week, it is important to ensure we offer this gift of present moment acceptance and peace of mind. Our intention is always to plant a seed, offer hope and care. We also emphasize to every student that “Yoga is a gift. No one can take it from you.”

What has been challenging in this work, and how have you coped?

The most challenging experience has been losing my yoga practice to over-working. Falling back to my own past trauma, anxiety and PTSD and avoiding yoga to soothe, guide me to surrender and tend to my own personal healing.

Now I daily log what I did for self care and make sure I take time for mindfulness, prayer, meditation, breath work, writing, dog cuddles, planned meals, hikes, nature, the ocean, gathering with friends, music and dancing, artwork, playful and heartfelt interactions.

How has teaching this class impacted your life or perspective?

Teaching in communities that have little resources and no yoga studio is a gift of introducing yoga to people that develop a consistent practice. We have given scholarships to our students so they can become yoga instructors and give back. We have one teacher who now leads several classes in Spanish – mentoring that teacher showed me so much and led me to starting Yoga For Healing Trauma. The company slogan is “Building Communities Worldwide” and I’m so touched to now bring Trauma Informed Yoga Trainings to countries outside the US.

What practices have been particularly powerful in this work?

Being present with what is, showing up without a plan, allowing the students’ energy to dictate what is needed. This shows interest, listening with compassion rather than having an idea of how the class is supposed to be. Students mention that they felt cared for, seen and included. Offering yoga for union, mentioning the group energy we share is self healing in a group, we all begin to notice that shift from being alone to belonging.

What advice would you share with other teachers interested in doing similar work?

Connect with people who are doing this work, ask questions to see what works and why. Take UpRising Yoga’s Trauma Informed Yoga Training! It is impactful and life changing. I’m honored to share our experience, knowledge. We form allies and peers, and maintain close relationships with those teaching trauma informed yoga all over the country.

Share a story from this work that is meaningful to you.

There are so many! We had a group of social workers from Nashville get a grant to take our training. They were working with refugees that didn’t speak English and looking for ways to connect. One of them asked us which posture would be used for a particular moment and we shared that a practice in a certain sequence is needed, a meaningful practice to share rather than pick a pose out to get its result. Showing mindfulness, meditation and breath work is where we start. We give what we have from within, so we start with ourselves. It is particularly meaningful to me because I can’t give what I don’t have and I need to remind myself of this often.

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